Hungarian Tart is a blast from the past - a crumbly square of joy that melts in your mouth.

This weekend I had friends over for supper and I decided to make a sugar-free batch, free from any refined flour.

I once again rifled through my mum’s recipe book for a basic method that I could play around with. I find her measurements to be spot on and I’m so delighted to share my alternate diabetic-friendly one with you.

Some days I imagine her in my kitchen, chatting away, while I bake. It’s a feeling I don’t take for granted because without my mum’s influence I wouldn’t know how to create anything.

Ingredients

2 cups of gluten free flour (sold in Woolworths)

125 g salted butter at room temperature (don’t substitute with margerine)

3 tbsp Xylitol icing sugar (sold in Woolworths)

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp oil

2 tsp Xanthan gum

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup of sugar free strawberry jam

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees and grease a square pan

2. Sift flour, Xanthan gum, baking powder in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl mix your egg with a fork. Set aside.

4. Cream butter and sugar.

5. Add oil and egg and vanilla

6. Add flour and knead the dough well. If you are kneading the dough by hand, cling wrap the dough and let it rest in the fridge for 10 minutes. Your hands have heat and it will make the dough soft.

7. Divide the dough equally into two balls.

8. Use one ball and press it into the pan covering the entire surface. Using a fork, poke holes into the dough.

9. Spread jam evenly on the top.

10. Grate the leftover dough over the jam, making sure you cover all the edges.

11. Bake for 25 minutes.

12. Cut into squares immediately and let your tart cool before you transfer it.

Strawberry Jam

Ingredients

500g strawberry’s

500g Xylitol

500 ml water

Juice of 1 lemon

Method

1. Add all the ingredients to a large pot and boil the mixture on a medium heat until the jam looks clear and starts becoming thick.